A Guilt-Ridden Decision
by MinuanoGS
Summary: NOTE : This a fic following the bad ending of Justice For All. Obviously, there will be spoilers for that game. The miracle never happened. Phoenix failed to solve the State vs. Engarde case, and now he's having a hard time facing the consequences. Such a hard time that he's considering to make a choice not to be taken lightly.


"I... Quit. I definitely don't have what it takes to be a defense attorney." These were my last words before I turned over my badge.

After the State vs. Engarde case, I knew for a fact I wasn't a good lawyer: Matt Engarde got away and was declared "Not Guilty". Adrian Andrews took the blame instead and was found "Guilty" a few days later. And while I fulfilled my part of the deal with De Killer, I probably wouldn't see Maya again. Even if I could, would she want to see me? I don't know.

What I knew, though, is that it was my fault. A good attorney just like Mia would have found the way to solve everything. So I decided to leave the world of law for good. You might say that I'm stupid to abandon my job because of a single case in which the murderer got away scot-free. But isn't that the job of defense attorneys to protect the people that need it from getting a false verdict? In my eyes, it is, and I utterly failed.

The day before I gave up my badge, I was at the former Wright & Co. Law Offices packing everything to leave the building to someone that would make better use of it. All was going smoothly, until my phone started to ring. Tears were falling as I was hearing the Steel Samurai tune: It reminded me too much of Maya and I never saw her after what happened.  
As I reached out to the desk to take it, I saw the name of the person that tried to join me: Edgeworth. I quickly wiped the tears from my face and answered the call.

"Hello, Wright. I hope I'm not bothering you?"

"No, Edgeworth, that's alright. What do you want?" My voice was shaking as I was talking.

"I just want to talk to you about the Engarde case. I know it hurts you, but I need you to listen."

"You bet it hurts," I thought to myself. I tried not to show how hard it affected me, but I still wanted Edgeworth to know that I didn't want to talk about:

"Honestly, I don't need to hear that I did shit at that trial, I know that myself."

"That's not what I wanted to tell you, Wright. Plus, keep in mind that I was the prosecutor for the case. I'm also to blame for the outcome of the case. But that's not what I called for. I wanted to tell you I was the prosecutor during Ms. Andrews' trial. While I couldn't get the judge to declare her "Not Guilty", I still managed to get her a lesser sentence."

I knew he was trying to get me to feel better, but that wasn't doing it:

"She still was found guilty because of me and Engarde was declared innocent. No matter what you say, I have my responsibilities. And I don't want that to happen again..."

"I can understand, that's why-"

"I'm leaving the courts and giving back my badge tomorrow." I cut him off mid-sentence. I wanted him to know about my intentions.

"You... What?!" He clearly was shocked by what I intended to do. "Wright... Are you really sure you want to go through that?"

"I'm sure of it. Having ruined two lifes is enough for me."

...Silence. Clearly, we didn't know what to tell each other after that, and the lack of talking after that only proved it. Until Edgeworth started to talk again, his voice sounding even more serious than before:

"...If you really want to abandon your badge, that's your right, but at the very least please hear me out Wright."

At the very least he respected my wish. But what was he going to say would shake me a little bit.

"Before we faced each other, I was recognized as the Demon Prosecutor: A man that got his fair share of defendant declared guilty. Can you imagine how many innocent people I might have convicted during these four years of my career? I never realized how wrong I was until I faced you in the courts. You were the reason I tried to look at what being a prosecutor really meant."

A single tear rolled on my cheek. I kinda expected Edgeworth to have changed, but to hear him say it was thanks to me was... Both weird and heartwarming at the same time.

After a small break, he resumed his speech:

"I previously thought that the goal of the prosecutors was to convict the accused, but I was far from it. In fact, their goal is to reach out to the truth, but they can't do that on their own. And that's where defense attorneys like you step in. By joining their forces, they can get the fair verdict people deserve."

"I could have guessed that's what you learned while traveling aboard. But to be honest, I don't see the point of telling me all this."

"The point is, that you shouldn't give up everything you've built just because of that case. Instead, you should learn from it just like I did last year. I know you can, Wright, and I know you will make the right decision. I just... don't want my friend to quit."

"Edgeworth... I see. You may be right after all." He clearly was good with words. "I might reconsider it now. Thanks a lot, man."

"You're welcome. Helping my friend... It's the least I could do." Edgeworth always had a hard time conveying his feelings, but it was one of the few times he genuinely got to show them. That was weird.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work on another case. Please take care of yourself ,Wright."

"You too, Edgeworth."

The call finished, I was conflicted: Should I keep working as a lawyer, or should I stop? I kept thinking about it the rest of the day.

The following day, the moment I woke up, my mind was set: I would return my badge. I knew that it was kinda like betraying Edgeworth, but... I'm not like him.

He learned from what happened to him, and how he can keep on doing his job without being guilt-ridden by his old ways is beyond me. I don't have the same mental as him.

Some hours later, I went to the Bar Association, the organisation that takes care of everything related to the job of defense attorneys. After a talk to the secretary, I went to the office of the man that's in charge of managing the list of lawyers allowed to practice.

I knocked at the office's door, and the voice inside told me to enter. The moment I stepped in said office, the first thing I noticed was how old the whole room looked. It was like a private detective's room, with a wooden desk and all. There was an old man sitting at the desk typing on his keyboard. When he saw me, he stood up and shook my hand. He then told me to sit on one of the chairs then asked me:

"Well, why are you here, sir... ?"

"Wright. Phoenix Wright."

"Oh, so you're the Phoenix Wright! I've heard a lot of things about you. You're definitely looking to be a promising lawyer with time, you know that?" He seemed really happy to meet me, but how would he act after hearing what I'm for...? Still, I was a bit embarassed by what he said.

"I... Guess? I'm not really sure, to be honest."

"Believe me, sir. I saw a lot of lawyers, but there's only a few like you. So, what do you want, M. Wright?"

...Oh my. He won't like what I'm gonna do, it's obvious. But there's no backing now. I've made up my mind.

I took my attorney badge off my lapel and put it on his desk.

"I... Quit. I definitely don't have what it takes to be a defense attorney."

"You quit? No way! Are you sure of that, M. Wright?" Clearly, he wasn't expecting it. His face went from an happy one straight to a sad one.

"I'm sure of it. After what happened recently, there's no doubt about it: The courts could do without me."

"Don't say such nonsense, M. Wright! Do you realize what you're saying? You can't say the courts don't need you! You did amazing things, like solving the DL-6 case!"

He clearly wanted me to keep being a lawyer with that example. I felt bad inside, because I was under the impression that I was letting everyone down: Edgeworth... Mia... That old man...

But I don't want to ruin more lifes.


End file.
